Why Have Ford Announced A New Scrappage Scheme?

12th Sep, 2017

Air quality is becoming an increasingly hot button issue here in the UK, with growing pressure on the government to take quick action. Global manufacturer Ford is one of the major automotive brands to recognise that, and with that in mind it’s launching a scrappage scheme to incentivise the general public to trade in their current polluting cars for newer models. Some people are a bit suspicious of the scheme, however – they see it as little more than a publicity stunt for Ford and similar manufacturers. So what’s actually going on?

What’s Involved In Ford’s Scrap Car Scheme?

Ford’s scrappage scheme has a couple of different components to it. Basically, the company is giving an incentive for UK customers to trade in cars that are over 7 years old by offering £2000 off the cost of some newer models. This is because many vehicles that were registered before 2009 are fitted with Euro 5 engines, a now-outdated model that doesn’t abide by current environmental rules. Newer Ford models, on the other hand, by law are fitted with Euro 6 engines, which are far more friendly to the environment, and customers can take their pick from a range of these.

Meanwhile, once the discount has been applied and customers have purchased their new car, the older, more polluting vehicle is scrapped according to Ford’s policy. Ford says this will have an immediate positive effect on air quality. As to whether the company is overstating that, we’ll just have to wait and see!

Why Is This Happening Now?

Ford describes its scrappage scheme as part of a ‘journey’ to improve air quality by taking hundreds of thousands of the dirtiest vehicles off the roads, replacing them with more environmentally friendly models that emit up to 90% less pollutants. They’re not the only manufacturer to be running a scheme like this – others include Vauxhall, BMW and Volkswagen – but they’re unique in insisting that the old car is scrapped after the deal is done.

As we touched upon above, air quality is becoming a bigger issue in the public eye recently, as pollution levels in the UK’s biggest cities were found to be regularly exceeding safe limits. The government is taking action, but it’s all a little too slow for environmental groups, who are pointing out that not enough is being done immediately. One of the notable pieces missing from their Clean Air strategy is a scrappage scheme, and it’s a gap that Ford appears to have stepped forward to fill. The government, for their part, have pledged to ban diesel and petrol cars from 2040 onwards.

What Are The Concerns With It All?

There’s a certain amount of righteous suspicion of the mainstream car industry from experts and the general public. The emissions scandal – when Volkswagen was caught cheating emissions tests – doesn’t help public perception of the industry, and some have noticed that it does seem to be quite a handy way for Ford to shift thousands of their newest cars onto the public, leading to accusations that they’re just cashing in on the issue as a marketing stunt. Whatever the case, people have only until the 31st of December this year to become participants in the scheme, after which it becomes closed for entry.

We think it’s worth pointing out at this stage that we don’t have any such time limits on our service here at Scrap Car Network. We’re committed to getting you the best price on scrapping your car – whether or not you’re ready to buy a new one – and what’s more we’re dedicated to helping the environment while we do it, too. You can click here to find out how, as well as other reasons to choose us.